Study Groups

Virginia Slep, Study Group Leader
Mondays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. via Zoom

In this writing group, the creative talents of the participants will be encouraged by their peers. Members are invited to write in any genre: memoir, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essay, humor or play. Handouts will be provided to stimulate writing. Participants are given time to share their writings with classmates if they choose. Sometimes in talking about someone else’s writing, we are able to clarify our own thoughts and abilities. This is a light-hearted, supportive, welcoming group whose members enjoy writing for the fun of it and is a continuation from spring 2024.

Virginia Slep holds a BA and an MA in English and taught high school English for 35 years before her retirement. She has been leading this writing study group at LLARC since 2008 and was awarded the 2023 LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for excellence in teaching. She writes a regular column for the North Reading Transcript. Virginia has a PhD in Clinical Hypnosis and has a private practice in Wayland.

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Mary Nowak
Mondays, 9:15-10:45 AM September 23 through October 28 via Zoom
Five weeks

Did you go to the Esplanade on July 4 or to a parade? Maybe you watched a patriotic concert. Do such events stir your emotions or remind you of past events in your life? Did you ever wonder about the background of the songs-who wrote the lyrics, who composed the music. why the songs were written? This study group is about eight of the most popular patriotic songs. Most of them are in historical order, but not the first. Irving Berlin and his God Bless America will be our introduction. There is plenty of material, many articles and videos, on the Internet. This is a collaborative study group, all of us searching for interesting facts, sharing stories about the songs we love to hear, that perhaps bring back special memories of people, times, and places. Some brief voluntary reports may take place as we all try to find out who, what, when, where, why, and how each song was written. In other words-the background story.

Mary Nowak has a BA and MA in American history from Boston University. She taught American history and U.S. and world geography in Brookline. She has led several study groups for LLARC on women in the Suffrage Movement, the Labor Movement, the Progressive Movement, the American Civil War, and America’s Internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII.

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Mary Nowak
Mondays, 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. via Zoom
November 4 through December 9
Five weeks

You might have heard of Thomas Nast, or maybe his name is new to you. At one time he was quite revered as a political cartoonist. He is most recalled for the cartoons he did regarding Boss Tweed of New York. Few know of the extent of his work and how he recorded the events of his time. We are going to take a brief look at Nast, the major events taking place then, his immediate effect on events, and his lasting contributions to our history. There is no one book. All readings, videos, etc. will come from the Internet, This study group is not a lecture course. It’s all of us together on an adventure of discovery about an important man whom we ought to know.

Mary Nowak has a BA and MA in American history from Boston University. She taught American history and U.S. and world geography in Brookline. She has led several study groups for LLARC on women in the Suffrage Movement, the Labor Movement, the Progressive Movement, the American Civil War, and America’s Internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII.

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Dorothy Miller
Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In-person, FAC 301
10 weeks

Works to read: The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Penguin Plays) and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Scribners). John Proctor faces the theocracy in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 and Jay Gatsby struggles with the social order of New York in the 1920's. What do these two works say about America and how do they resonate today? I look forward to a lively discussion of these works.

This will be Dorothy Miller’s fifth course she has taught at LLARC. Before that she taught English at Boston College for forty years.

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Jack Miller
Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom
September 23 through October 28

By 1787, the US was operating under the Articles of Confederation. This document allowed states sovereignty under a weak central government. The US was floundering. To build support for a nationally ratified constitution, founding fathers wrote 85 essays known as the Federalist Papers under the name “Publius.”

Jack is a retired engineer with teaching experience in engineering, mathematics, business and LLARC. Jack’s lifelong interest in history focuses this class on how the Federalist Papers helped convince key states to ratify our constitution.

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Steve Kendall
Mondays, 1 to 2:30 p.m., in-person, Fine Arts Center, Room 301
10 weeks

When Paul Cezanne painted “Mount Sainte-Victoire” in 1904, he opened the door to dramatic changes in art—changes that many people love today, but almost everyone hated at the time. The next twenty years would spawn new art movement after new art movement, from Fauvism and Cubism to Art Deco and Surrealism. Meanwhile, events such as World War I and Einstein’s development of relativity theories inspired artists, while others, such as the 1913 Armory Show and the opening of New York’s 291 gallery, shocked the public. In just twenty years, some of the greatest artworks in history were created and the foundation for the future of art was laid. Fasten your seat belt; join us to hear about, and discuss, an explosion in art.

Steve Kendall has taught art history-related courses for LLARC for the past 19 terms and is a former recipient of the LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for teaching excellence. He has been a tour guide at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum for 12 years, and prior to retirement was the president of an advertising and public relations agency.

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Bernie Shuster
Tuesdays, 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. via Zoom

In 1783 the Revolution against Great Britain had ended, and the Colonies had achieved freedom, but now what? “It appears, sir, that in all the American provinces there is more or less a tendency toward democracy; that in many this extreme form of government will finally prevail. The result will be that the Confederation will have little stability, and that by degrees the different states will subsist in perfect independence of each other,”-Secret instructions from the French royal government to the French Chargé d’Affairs in America, about American political relations and possible Confederation collapse.

Bernard Shuster earned a BA in History at UMASS Amherst and an LLD at Boston University School of Law. He practiced law for several years as a partner in a Boston Law firm. He founded and served as COO at a financial services firm. Bernie has led over 50 courses at LLARC and HILR.

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Steve Kendall
Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in-person, Fine Arts Center, Room 301
10 weeks

When Paul Cezanne painted “Mount Sainte-Victoire” in 1904, he opened the door to dramatic changes in art—changes that many people love today, but almost everyone hated at the time. The next twenty years would spawn new art movement after new art movement, from Fauvism and Cubism to Art Deco and Surrealism. Meanwhile, events such as World War I and Einstein’s development of relativity theories inspired artists, while others, such as the 1913 Armory Show and the opening of New York’s 291 gallery, shocked the public. In just twenty years, some of the greatest artworks in history were created and the foundation for the future of art was laid. Fasten your seat belt; join us to hear about, and discuss, an explosion in art.

Steve Kendall has taught art history-related courses for LLARC for the past 19 terms and is a former recipient of the LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for teaching excellence. He has been a tour guide at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum for 12 years, and prior to retirement was the president of an advertising and public relations agency.

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Ronna Frick
Tuesdays, 1 to 4 p.m., via Zoom
10 weeks

Media are important cultural institutions that have the capacity to influence public opinion and political processes. Movies reflect as well as help shape our attitudes about the media. In this course we will examine ten films that take the media in America as their subject. Often films about the media either romanticize or demonize their subject. They tend to present journalists as heroes or villains, as crusaders or cynics, as saviors or destroyers of democracy. Sometimes the forces of idealism and greed do battle inside the newsroom. The films we will view in this course raise interesting and important questions about the role of the media in our lives. Some questions we will examine are: Is the medium itself, whether newspapers, radio, television, or social media, presented in a positive, negative, or neutral way in the film? What is the relationship between the media, entertainment, advertising, and politics? What do these movies tell us about the American public and its relationship to the media? Have representations of the media in film changed over time? How are social media transforming traditional media and our way of understanding our world? What do these films suggest the future holds for us? And then there is the irony that since “movies are the central myth-making media of societies” (Brian McNair) ultimately how much can we trust what they have to say to us about the media? We will examine these and other questions related to the films in our discussions. The movies we will view and discuss are: Ace in the Hole (1951); All the President’s Men (1976); A Face in the Crowd (1957); Good Night and Good Luck (2005); Network (1976); Broadcast News (1987); The Truman Show (1998); The Insider (1999); The Social Network (2010), and Spotlight (2015). I will send out study guides before viewing the films.

Ronna Frick has led literature and film related discussion groups at LLARC since 2010 and is a former recipient of the LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for teaching excellence. Prior to LLARC she taught high school English for over 40 years and served nine years as English department chair at Wellesley High School. She thoroughly enjoys teaching at LLARC and looks forward to another meaningful and fun experience with other lifelong learners.

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Jim Roman
Wednesdays, 9:15 to 10:45 a.m., via Zoom
10 weeks

Are you a person who is interested in world events and likes to have a conversation and exchange ideas about them? If you want to have a place to share your opinions and thoughts about topics in the news, LLARC has a study group for you. It’s Current Events! Through a facilitated discussion, classmates express their ideas about recent happenings, while we listen, learn, and understand the basis for others’ opinions. The group discussion is facilitated with guidelines, to enable people to feel comfortable participating. Robust exchanges can happen within this framework. Participants are encouraged to give one short presentation during the semester, about a topic of interest to him/her. Usually, the talks are at the beginning of the class, while at the end of each class, we discuss recent events that have occurred during the previous week, day, or even hour!

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Dinno Health
Wednesdays, 9:15 to 10:45 a.m., October 30 through December 4
In-person, Fine Arts Center, Room 301
Five weeks

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Frank Villa
Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
October 30 through December 4 via Zoom
Five weeks

From the Montreal Express to the Bermuda High, New England lies in a battleground of competing atmospheric conditions. Heat and humidity from the tropics meet bitter arctic cold directly above us. The result is our very interesting and unpredictable weather patterns. This five-week program begins with a study of local conditions observed in our backyards and moves to global conditions that influence our weather from far-off places. We complete the study with a closer look at the familiar regional quirks that influence us even further.

Frank Villa has a lifelong interest in the natural sciences. He finds great joy in explaining complex principles and processes and bringing the latest quests and discoveries of science to a general audience. He has developed curricula and taught science courses in many settings on a variety of topics.

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Tony and Margie Lee
Wednesdays, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
September 25 through October 23, in-person, Fine Arts Center, Room 301
Five weeks

Are you concerned about climate change and want to be more knowledgeable and involved? This course of five in-person 90-minute sessions will cover the following topics:

1. The science, problems and impacts associated with climate change;
2. Climate modeling, specifically the En-ROADS Simulator, that explores the effectiveness of various solutions;
3. Impressive advances in renewable energy, primarily wind and solar, and more recently offshore wind and geothermal;
4. Understanding public attitudes, who we are trying to reach and how to start conversations; and
5. Becoming active in the fight against climate change and creating a personal action plan.

Classes are limited to 20 participants to allow for ample student participation and interaction. Registration closes on (date – one week before first meeting). Supplemental readings and videos will be recommended for homework, along with a few outreach opportunities that have proven to be popular. This course has been presented over 50 times to over 600 people over the past four years. Please visit their website for more information.

Tony Lee graduated from Yale University in 1964, served as a US Naval officer, and earned an MBA at Rutgers University. His CPA career included seven years with Arthur Andersen, six years as CFO of a construction company and 25 years as a forensic accountant. His environmental and non-profit work began in 1978 as a board member of Friends of the Earth.

Margie Lee graduated from Skidmore College in 1968 and earned a certificate from the Boston College Women in Politics and Government program. She worked in career services at Brandeis University and administrative support positions at MassBay Community College.

From 1982 to 1989, Tony and Margie worked as educators for the Beyond War Foundation. In 1990, in response to news coverage of global warming, they joined Wayland’s Earth Day committee and organized local educational programs, including dozens of talks and several newspaper articles on climate change. Working with a small team, Tony and Margie developed the “Can We Stop Climate Change?” seminar, which is used to educate concerned people who would like to be more effective climate change activists.

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Joe Tennyson
Wednesdays, 1 to 2:30 p.m., via Zoom
10 weeks

In this course, we explore a variety of AI-enhanced entities and the social arenas in which we interact with them. We meet AI-powered pets, artists, social influences, receptionists, therapy companions, war dogs, and humanoid generalists before concluding our junket with a brief scrutiny of emerging brain-machine-interfaces, spiking neural networks, Neuromorphic Computing / computer chips, and the possibility of human augmentation. During each session, we review the technology in play, its effectiveness, and the humanistic, legal, and ethical considerations each specific deployment engenders, the balance between the dark and the bright sides of Artificial Intelligence.

Joe Tennyson worked in the Information Technology field as a software developer, network engineer, and senior manager for forty years before retiring in 2020. He developed an on-going interest in Artificial Intelligence in the early 1980s and has followed developments in the field as they unfolded since that time. Joe holds a BA in Communication Theory and Methodology from Emerson College and an MBA from Boston College with a concentration in Operations Research.

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Dick Sullivan
Thursdays, 9:15 to 10:45 a.m., in-person, Fine Arts Center, Room 301
10 weeks

We will begin with a Case Study of the Black Men and Women enslaved by the Jesuits of the Maryland Province 1700-1865 and the 272 Black people sold in 1838 to plantation owners in Louisiana; Examination of historic ties to slavery and plans for redress/reparations at other institutions of higher education and religious formation; Evaluation of America’s Reparations for Japanese American incarcerations during WWII; Exploration of Reparations Initiatives proposed or underway in American states and cities; Analysis of California’s 2020-2023 Reparations Task Force Findings and Recommendations for Policy Changes and Financial Payouts; Review of Reparations Legislation proposed in the 118th Congress and the feasibility of constructing a program of compensation for descendants. Analysis of an economic framework for creating a program for closing the racial wealth gap.

Readings: Rachel L. Swarns. The 272: The Families that were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church. Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, Time Magazine and The Washington Post.

Dick Sullivan’s interest in American immigration history, policies, and practices comes from twenty years of family history research and analysis of families making their way in the United States, despite substantial economic, social, legal and cultural barriers. He received an AB psychology from the College of the Holy Cross; Master's in Education from Boston College; and Master’s in Public Administration from Northeastern University. He taught thirteen years at the Boston University School of Business in the Organizational Behavior Department.

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J. Adrian Zimmer
Thursdays, 9:15 to 10:45 a.m.
September 26 to November 21 via Zoom
Eight weeks

In this online course, we will discuss eight films which you will stream on your own time. These subtitled, foreign-language films are from Scandinavia, France, India, Japan, and Israel/Palestine. They all have protagonists who discover something about themselves. Preparation for each of the eight classes involves watching and thinking about the film. For each class you will be provided with a link to a source for streaming one film and a short online introduction with some things to think about. Each film is available to stream online for no more than $5. They are between one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours long.

I entered this world during WWII. Raised in Nebraska, I have since lived in other states and in three other countries. That didn't stop me from returning to the American prairie twice before settling in Massachusetts. Educated through a post-doc in mathematics, I spent most of my career teaching and writing about the art of computer programming. Since age 13 I have been interested in how we humans fit into different cultures. Throughout the years foreign films have been a major way I have pursued that interest. A couple years back I started obsessing a bit about where I will live out my remaining years. This year (2024) I grew tired of that, picked a retirement home in Canton, Massachusetts, moved in, and continue to share my interests with others. More about J. Adrian Zimmer is available online.

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Mary Mahoney
Thursdays, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
September 26 to November 11, in-person, Fine Arts Center, Room 301
Six weeks

The study of Irish history and culture is complicated. Until recently, much was never written by the Irish people. The formal history was often reported by others, mainly the British. And culturally, much was combined with invaders ideas and those of settlers who came to enslave the Irish, steal the wealth, or claim land in the country… or all of the above. Personally, I learned my Irish history at a young age, listening to my mother's records containing traditional Irish ballads by folksingers and poets (and listening to my mother’s great aunt talk about the Great Hunger). The songs and poems delineate the Irish view of their own history with humor, grief, hope and, often, melancholy. The facts can be presented as comparisons to the mostly British reporting and the Irish perspective… always with the ever-present myths, stories and music to give it a truly Irish flavor.

Mary Hawes Mahoney is a teacher at heart. She taught English Language Arts and history (all kinds, including ancient civilizations, world religions, American history from inception to present day, World War I and II, and Western civilization) in the Sudbury Public Schools for 37 years. Ireland and Irish history have been a particular interest because her mother’s ‘people’ were from Ireland. They had the misfortune to have traveled on ‘coffin ships’ and were refused entry at ports in Boston and New York. Subsequently, as a child, Mahoney was steeped in tales of the Irish and Irish history, but those tales did not always follow the history she was taught in school. Curiosity piqued, after she had gotten two degrees from Boston College and had been teaching history for years. Thus, she accepted an invitation to spend a summer studying at the National University of Ireland, Galway in the 1990s. She returned to Galway as well as spent another summer at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She now would like to share the historical perspective gained, along with the music, myths and humor of the Irish.

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Bill Koehler
Fridays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
September 27 to October 25, via Zoom
Five weeks

The October Revolution in Russia in 1917, which brought Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks to power, upended European, and world, politics. In creating the Soviet Union, Lenin and his successors not only transformed Russia from a backward agrarian nation into an industrial, scientific, and military power, but also spread socialist revolution across the globe. We will examine the most compelling consequences of the rise and spread of state communism across the globe.

William Koehler, Dean of the Sloane School of Business and Communication at Regis College, holds a PhD in Modern European History from Brandeis University and has taught in higher education for over three decades.

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Bill Koehler
Fridays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
November 1 to December 6, via Zoom
Five weeks

The Second World War was the bloodiest, most devastating conflict in world history. We often view the military history of WWII through the vital lens of American involvement, in North Africa, Western and Southern Europe, and the Pacific Theater. It is on the Eastern Front, however, where Nazi Germany fought the Soviet Union from 1941-1945, that we find the largest concentrations of forces, the most casualties, and the greatest horrors of war. It is also on the Eastern Front where the fight against Nazi Germany was ultimately decided. We will examine the key campaigns and crucial turning points from the initial German invasion (Operation Barbarossa) in June 1941 to the fall of Berlin in May 1945.

William Koehler, Dean of the Sloane School of Business and Communication at Regis College, holds a PhD in Modern European History from Brandeis University and has taught in higher education for over three decades.

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